Never Take You For Granted
by WindNinjaDW
Summary: Sometimes the past can remind you just how fortunate you are in the now.  Never take the one you love for granted. Gruvia


**Hello all. Long time, no talk, yes? I do sincerely apologize for not uploading in such a long time. College consumed most of my time, but now I'm done for the semester. I made all A's, but I'm sure you guys don't care about that, right? For those who are following **_**Two of a Kind**_**, I am still working on Chapter 2, and I'm happy to tell you it's almost complete. Just few more sequences and a couple of read throughs for errors, and I'll post it. So bare with me, and in the mean time, please do enjoy my latest fic.**

**It's a one-shot. Nothing special, but I needed to take care of my urge to write a Fairy Tail fic(my current obsession XD) By the way, Fairy Tail belongs to the shounen genius, Mashima-sensei. I own none of the characters in this fic and blah, blah, blah...Anyway, enjoy.**

**Never Take You For Granted**

**a Gruvia Fanfiction**

He wondered why he'd taken so long…why he doubted his feelings and made her wait. After all, he wasn't so stupid to have not noticed her feelings, so why did he not grant himself this happiness all along. Her existence was the warmth he needed to melt the cold, otherwise impenetrable crystalline walls around his frigid heart, and he'd have been a damn fool not to allow her to free him from this accursed imprisonment.

He told himself he'd never give it away again…that no other woman would ever claim a place in his heart like his adopted mother, Ur, did, but there she was nestled tenderly into the crook of his neck directly beneath his chin, eyes closed in gentle drapes over dark blues and warm, shallow breathes a tickle against the bare skin of his throat. He could feel the expansion and deflation of her body against his as she rest, and at this he crooked a tender smile and softly trailed a thumb across the smooth, delicate skin of her pale cheek, brushing aside the cerulean locks from her beautiful, tranquil face and prompting the sleeping beauty to relinquish a tiny moan and shuffle deeper into him.

"Juvia…" the name coming as a silent wind from his parted lips. Just allowing the name to roll off his tongue sent shivers down his spine- in a good way, of course.

Juvia…

This woman…somehow, without cease or dissuasion, she crept into his very being like a thief under vast, dark skies and ran away with his heart; If it was her, however, he didn't mind so much because he had stolen her from the start, and that was just fine with him.

Moonlight bled through in fine streams, adding a level of shine to her pale-white skin and giving an even more illustrious look to her innocent yet beautiful sleeping face. Pride swelled within his chest that he would have such a faithful and unfickle heart to stand consistently by him. He wasn't exactly sure when the girl began to prime herself into his heart, but one thing he knew for sure was he'd sooner throw himself to the deepest depths of the ocean than risk losing another opportunity to tell his most deepest, honest feelings. And so he did.

That day he could remember as clear as the night sky is black. 10:43 A.M, on a Tuesday, the year X792, out on the shores of Magnolia. It was raining, and there was Juvia at the center of it all, gazing out into the dulled coloring of the ocean where the water washed up on the shore. Gray had called her there, and he had been late for the very arrangement he set up. Her hair by that point was plastered to her from her cheekbones to the dip of her neck, and her clothes were soaked from head to toe, but despite her bedraggled appearance she was still infinitely more beautiful than any other woman he'd encountered.

The rain woman had cried into his chest a whole five minutes once he confessed before he told her more briskly than he wanted to "stop crying already" and pulled her into a long, passionate kiss.

Gray chuckled at the thought silently. Yeah, telling a girl practically to "shut up" and then kissing her as if the world were coming to an end. Real smooth. Still, despite his lack of talent as a suave she loved him, and he loved her for it.

Five years…five years, the two water-based mages had been going strong, and by the end of the fifth they decide to tie the knot. This women would be his- better yet, she already is his wife, but who's punching details right now. It wasn't hard to believe how excited all of Fairy Tail became after such enthralling news hit the streets, courtesy of Mirajane, the guild's number one gossip and matchmaker. Every girl in Fairy Tail went into a boisterous torrent of squeals, cheers, and congratulatory prating while the fellas simple wolf-whistled all over the guild. Elfman went on about marriage being a distinct honor among men, and Natsu and Gajeel, in their own way, congratulated Gray through their usual childish banter-not that they wouldn't be getting their fair share of teasing soon enough as Natsu and Lucy became engaged two to three months after the news, and likewise Gajeel and Levy, who became engaged five months after.

To think the woman he committed his entire, remaining life to was the same woman he considered weird from the offshoot. Her joining Fairy Tail hadn't been a big deal to him, but he found the way the girl interacted with others, especially concerning him, a bit strange. The way she looked at him when they were face-to-face, how she would blush and fidget when he was within propinquity, or even the way she communicated with him was a mystery to the ice mage; however, becoming tasked as a watchful eye over the girls actions during missions, this forced time he spent with the water mage garnered understanding. The more time he spent with the her, the more he realized he was drawn to her.

Even moments as insignificant as teaching her the proper method to eating his favorite food, caramade franks, reserved a special meaning to him, and he soon discovered that not only did he desire to know more about the water mage, but that he wished for her to know him as well.

How strange and ironic, meeting under the same skies for the first time as enemies, but ultimately unifying under one guild as allies, and then finally under one roof as lovers. She had formally been a member of the Phantom Lords special team Element Four. Strong was certainly a word he could use to describe the rain woman, along with the words strange and unpredictable, and Gray could recall exerting more magical energy in that battle than he had ever imagined he would in his entire life. However, it wasn't their miniature skirmish that adhered meaning for their destined union, but it was the depth of her sincerity that etched itself into his memory ultimately tracing to his heart, and because of such pure honesty Juvia became more than another adversary to surmount.

_'Juvia is stronger than Lucy. Juvia can protect you.' _Those were the words she spoke to him that day, clear but confusing as ever. For the longest, he assumed she meant to protect him physically as if some sort of personal bodyguard, a baffling conclusion as he was more than capable of defending himself. Hell, he'd take on a whole damn guild if he had to. Still, it never occurred to him the true meaning behind those words, not until he found himself growing closer to the girl, anyway.

An arm shuffle out from under ice blue sheets, his hand sliding over the bulk of his chest and stopping directly over his heart. The beat of his heart thumped repeatedly against his palm before he looked back over to the peacefully resting woman.

"You're doing a good job protecting it," he whispered.

He sighed and began watching the shadowed ceiling, a complacent smile still on his face before it configured into a frown.

"Acknologia…" the name left a fowl, bitter taste in his mouth though he managed to keep the venom from spewing out, not wanting to wake his fair beauty sleeping soundly next to him.

Death had eluded each and every member of Fairy Tail in closely brushing encounters, mercy granted at every turn about Tenrou Island. Fate would have it Fairy Tail be the victors at the end of the day, battered and bruised, but alive…she was alive, still there with him. Fanfare of their triumph over yet another accosting guild echoed with sighs of relief and ideals of friendship and teamwork, none aware of impending calamity set to soon reign uncouth judgement upon their heads.

The Black Dragon, Acknologia…

Any enemy can be surmounted if we stick together and fight with all we've got they thought. But that which wrought devastation and destruction amongst its hatred for all living things cannot be easily failed.

Hopeless…

Shame…

Sorrow…

Regret….regret.

Her hand had been soft within his. He squeezed her hand, fighting back tears as he peered into her dark blue depths. She squeezed his hand back, deeply looking back into his. She nodded and gave him a sweet smile.

Violent, tremorous winds pelted around the Fairy Tail mages before an unrelented pillar of light sped towards them. It was blinding luminance, but none that could deter him from spotting her for she shone brighter than any light capable of being rendered. He smiled back at the woman. If they somehow managed to make it out of this, he told himself he would never again take her for granted.

"Gray?" he heard the groggy yet soft voice say his name.

He smile at the woman's sleep induced face as she set herself upright next to him. She rubbed gingerly at her eyes in an attempt to coax the sleep out of them until Gray became clear in view.

"Gray appears to be deep in thought. Is Gray feeling alright?"

The ice mage shook his head, inched a smile, and kissed the woman's forehead. "Everything is fine, baby. Let's get some sleep, ok?"

Gray slid sideways back down into the bed and patted the vacant space between him and his drowsy wife. Juvia blinked at him for a couple of seconds but soon took him up on his offer. He wrapped his arms around her waist once she backed into him, and then the room went silent.

Gray leaned into the length of her hair, taking in the pleasant spring rain scent of it, then said, "I love you, Juvia."

He felt Juvia back closer into him. "Juvia loves Gray, too." At this he smiled and closed his eyes content to drift off.

He may have waited. He may have doubted, but one thing was for sure. He had her now, _'And I'll never take you for granted.'_

**AN: So this one was a quickie, and now that the itch has been scratched, I can now focus on my NaruIno fanfic. Anyway, this story obviously takes place after the timeskip(another 6-7 years after to be exact). Sorry if some of the events are confusing. I jumbled them around on purpose to give it the feel of him recalling what he felt were the greatest factors in why him and Juvia are where they are at now. I hope I didn't fail at conveying that.**

**I might do another one-shot or multi-chap within this continuum. I feel like it would make for an interesting story to show in full detail how Gray finally came to his decision to date and then ultimately marry Juvia. Hmmmm...maybe. Anyway, that's all I got for now, so until next time ;p**


End file.
